Pizza Spaghetti Squash

You guys. Thank you so much for your kind and supportive words regarding my post last Friday. I can’t tell you how nervous I was to write it and, with the exception of a few, it seems like a lot of people are excited for what’s to come. Which, again, should really be more of the same. I’m still answering emails and comments so if you haven’t heard from me, I’m gettin’ there. You are truly fantastic and, like I said, THANKS!

In other news, pizza Friday came early this week. That’s right, don’t wait until the end of the week – make healthier Pizza Spaghetti Squash tonight!

MY OTHER RECIPES

I didn’t plan on sharing such a hippie-dippie recipe so soon after announcing I have Celiac Disease (nor did I plan on sharing a SUPER hippie-dippie recipe the day of, but, well, that’s the way the cookie crumbled…bahahaha. Ahem. By the way, have you tried those cookies yet? I forgot to mention that the dough might be better than the baked cookie!) Anyway, I’ve been busting at the seams to share this simple yet crazy-tasty recipe with you for a couple of weeks and couldn’t wait even a few more days to do so.

Spaghetti squash is roasted then fluffed and topped with your favorite pizza toppings, and then baked until hot and bubbly. That’s it! Couldn’t be simpler and everyone get’s their own individual “pizza”, aka half a spaghetti squash, which they can pile all their favorite pizza toppings onto. That means no more fighting over who gets what on which pizza half. You’ve been there.

Ben and I have been eating spaghetti squash like crazy recently. We usually like it roasted and topped with pesto or marinara sauce with either quinoa meatballs or sneaky meatballs, but pizza spaghetti squash is for sure my new favorite. I’ve eaten it twice for lunch and once for dinner in the past two weeks!

In addition to being tasty and versatile, we also like spaghetti squash because of how much VOLUME it produces. After roasting, the insides of the squash are fluffed producing a huge meal leaving you “sushi stuffed.” You know, when you’re so full you can’t eat another bite but it’s like the healthy full you get from eating something light like sushi, and this pizza spaghetti squash. Not an, omg I just ate an entire pizza, full. Like I said, you’ve been there!

Start by washing then piercing a medium-sized spaghetti squash with a very sharp knife on top and then microwave for one minute. This just helps you cut the squash down the center before scooping out the seeds with a spoon. Make sure you’re using a very sharp knife, by the way. Spaghetti squash is a pretty hard squash.

Place the squash halves on a foil-lined baking sheet then brush or mist with extra virgin olive oil and season liberally with any seasonings you want – salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, Italian seasoning, etc. Remember, this produces a TON of food, so really lay the seasonings on there!

Roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes – 1 hour (depending on the size of your spaghetti squash) or until the squash strands are easily shredded with a fork.

Pull your fork across the strands to shred, leaving 1/4″ squash around the edges to make sure the shell doesn’t collapse, but also because you don’t want to have all the fun. One of the best parts about eating spaghetti squash is scraping your fork across the squash flesh, watching the strands of spaghetti “magically” appear!

Top with 1/2 cup sauce (locals you’ve GOT to use Ginos pizza sauce,) then all your favorite pizza toppings. The sky’s the limit!

Pop back into the 400 degree oven then bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Transfer to plates, then dig in!

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees then line a baking sheet with foil. Pierce spaghetti squash once with a sharp knife then microwave on a plate for 1 minute. Cut in half with the same very sharp knife then scrape seeds out with a spoon and place cut side up on the prepared baking sheet. Mist or brush with extra virgin olive oil then season generously with salt and pepper (or whatever seasoning blend you want.) Bake for 40 minutes to an hour, or until the flesh shreds easily. Shred, leaving 1/4" squash around the sides of the peel so it doesn't collapse

Top each half with 1/2 cup pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and pizza toppings then return to oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.

This less-guilt pizza spaghetti squash is so, so legit. Make sure you’re using a really good pizza sauce too – try springing for a locally made jar, if possible. The canned stuff just doesn’t really do it for me, and you can really taste it in here.

This recipe is not only IGE-friendly but dude-friendly (per Ben,) and kid-friendly, too. Like I said, scraping your fork across the roasted squash to magically produce strands of “spaghetti” is super fun for kids, and kids at heart. Enjoy!

This looks soooo good! Question – do you roast your squash cut side up or down on the baking sheet? I’ve always done it cut-side down, — but looks like you might get more ‘char’ (aka YUM) cut side up?? Just curious!

YUM! I have been a big fan of spaghetti squash for a while now, mostly because I’m a “volume eater,” and also because it’s DELICIOUS. We will for sure be making this in our house soon!

Have you tried making “zucchini noodles” yet with a spiralizer? I’m dying to try it and I feel like this would be a perfect pasta-alternative for you!

While I don’t have Celiac disease (that I know of), I know many people who do. I’ve been a longtime blog reader and will FOR SURE be sharing your posts with these friends now. Thanks for sharing with us and I’m so glad to hear you’re feeling better now!

Yum this looks awesome I’ve had a spaghetti squash sitting in my kitchen for a week now and was trying to not just make my go to spaghetti squash and meat sauce, I just made some homemade marinara sauce this morning so I will definitely be making this for dinner tonight! Thanks for the great recipe.

What a great idea!! The last spaghetti squash I bought was over 4lbs. I think that might serve 4. I’m hoping my husband will go for this. He likes spaghetti squash and meat sauce or marinara and meatballs.
I think zucchini noodles would be great with chicken and alfredo, you should try it out for us :)
If you haven’t tried it, tinkyada pasta is really good. They actually come in 1lb packages too, unlike other gf brands. My 8mo prefers it over wheat pasta, I think that says something!

I am seriously kicking myself for not coming up with this idea! Brillant! I’ve been in a pizza mood the last few weeks & this is the perfect balance of delicious without overdoing it! Thanks for sharing!

This is perfect !!! I saw the same small spaghetti squash at the store and walked away bc I didn’t have an “individual sized” recipe for them!!! This is perfect! Oh about the gluten thing, no problem your loyal readers ( including I) will be happy to go on this journey with you. Have a great day!! Btw Lincoln is super adorable, in case you didn’t know!

Just wanted to say thank you for the gluten free recipes. So sorry for the reason but I too have recently been diagnosed with severe gluten allergy and have been very depressed about what I have to give up. You are starting to give me hope! I am making the breakfast cookies this weekend and will try this as well on pizza night. Keep ’em coming. We GF folks are very appreciative of easy, delicious new recipes. Be well.

I imagine it must be very nerve-wracking for a blogger (and new mom!) to have to radically change her diet, but I know I’m not alone when I say that I’ve read your blog forever and will continue to enjoy following anything you choose to cook & write about. Your recipes have always fit my insatiable quest for budget-friendly, tasty, healthy meals — and as an extra bonus, they’re often very easy to modify for my family’s dairy-free needs. Thanks for writing all these years! So glad you’re on the path to feeling better.

I seriously can’t believe a “few” people have a problem with the new direction your blog will be going in! It’s your blog and your health! Geeze. Rant over!

Kristin, I’ve been following you since 2011. All of the recipes I have ever made of yours, turn out amazing. I keep coming back for more. :) I will follow your blog no matter what you cook, because I know it will always be delicious! <3

I LOVE spaghetti squash! I’m a health nut and also a vegetarian, so I usually leave mine meatless. I like to cut it in half, flip it rindside-up on a cookie sheet at 385 for 45min, and then scrape out the insides and cook them in a frying pan with some marinara sauce and steamed veggies. Once it’s all mixed up and heated, I add some hot sauce and chili powder, then serve on a bed of chopped spinach. It sounds like a mess but it’s DELICIOUS and I usually serve it with Parmesan cheese and garlic bread.

Thanks so much for posting this recipe! We love spaghetti squash but aren’t very creative with it so this will be a fun change! Thanks for all your great recipes and try not to worry what mean people say, they just have too much time on their hands :)

Wow Hailey, Are you 12? You seem a bit bent out of shape because I don’t like a recipe and express my point of view. It seems you believe this is a special little club and “members” must praise everything that is printed. Maybe I’m not one one the many other family/friend or food bloggers who post here regularly who praise everything. Just being honest, and if professional food blogger can’t take some criticism…well, you know the saying…if it’s too hot, then maybe it’s time to get out of the kitchen.

But hey, you have a point, there are plenty of other blogs that go beyond just being a personal fan club because honest feedback can actually create growth.

Hey Carrie, you are absolutely entitled to your opinion regarding my recipe, or any recipe for that matter. This was a fun twist on spaghetti squash that, in my eyes, adding (preservative-free) pepperoni, cheese, and pizza sauce to made it a healthier alternative to pizza. I do ask that all comments remain respectful of others, including other commenters, in order to stay on the blog. I can take constructive criticism, but this is not a space on the web where I encourage mean-spirited conversations. Thanks for understanding.

Thanks for your reply. No disrespect Kristin , but I find it interesting that 99.9% of the comments here are all glowing…all the time. But, you get one review that isn’t glowing and I’m told to go elsewhere by another poster? Then, you address my comment and not the “mean spirited” comment telling me to leave just because I dare criticize this recipe. Wow. I just thought this recipe was lacking and not up to your typical standards or the standards of a professional food blogger who takes money from advertisers to post. I’m sure you are surrounded by friends, family and community who tell you that everything you do is magic. I get it. It’s your blog and if you only want to hear from people who love everything you do, that’s your choice.
With that, all the best… good health and good luck with your new venture.

Like I said, certainly no ill will from me if you don’t like a recipe or think it’s not up to par (they can’t all be winners according to everyone.) I cannot control what other people leave as far as comments go and do not delete them unless someone is swearing at me or another person – just not necessary. By mean-spirited I just meant calling someone else “12 years old”, “special little club” etc. I don’t think either of us want to continue to debate this, I’m sure we both have better things to do, but that’s all I meant by mean-spirited. Thank you for your support and hopefully you find future recipes to be more appealing than this one.

Delicious! And fiancé approved — he’s usually slightly skeptical of these types of dishes.
I cut a thin slice off the “bottom” of each squash half so that they would lay flat in the pan and on the plate – I think it made them a little easier to eat. I topped it with cheese and sausage; we agreed that it would be best with savory toppings like that, maybe diced ham or mushrooms as well as pepperoni. We didn’t think we’d like it as much with pineapple or peppers because their sweetness/crunchiness would meld too much with the squash.
Thanks for the recipe!

I just made this and it was so so delicious! My husband hates squash. Hates is a strong word, but it definitely applies so I got a lot of looks when he saw what I was making. The first bite he said, “well this isn’t bad”. Once he finished he said I could make it again, wooohoo!! A big winner. Thanks for the recipe.

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hi, i’m kristin!

I'm a Midwestern wife and Mom of two little boys. After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2013, Iowa Girl Eats is a place I share delicious and approachable gluten-free recipes made with everyday, in-season ingredients. Visit my Recipe Index for inspiration!MORE ABOUT ME

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